Warmup 9/24/15
Write a story to
go with the
following picture.
Focus on the
plants.
Objective
Classify ferns and other
vascular plants without
seeds
Tonight’s Homework
pp 294: 1, 2, 3, 4
Notes on Ferns
All plants except those related to mosses have a
vascular system.
They use this system to transport water and
dissolved minerals.
Ferns and other related plants in phylum
pterophyta are vascular, but strangely don’t
have seeds.
Notes on Ferns
Fern Shapes
Ferns can be found in many locations, and grow
in many ways.
Some are what we call epiphytes. These plants
live on others but
aren’t parasitic.
Examples include
plants like
bromeliads.
Notes on Ferns
Some are tree ferns, which grow
on long trunks. These trunks are
actually hard stems, not solid
wood.
The Australian tree fern is a
prime example.
Notes on Ferns
Some are tree ferns, which grow
on long trunks. These trunks are
actually hard stems, not solid
wood.
The Australian tree fern is a
prime example.
Some grow as vines, like this
climbing vine fern.
Notes on Ferns
Some are tree ferns, which grow
on long trunks. These trunks are
actually hard stems, not solid
wood.
The Australian tree fern is a
prime example.
Some grow as vines, like this
climbing vine fern.
Others grow
floating in water,
like the water sprite.
Notes on Ferns
Fern Structure
The base of the fern is composed of the roots.
These are true roots, absorbing nutrients for the
plant.
Notes on Ferns
Fern Structure
The base of the fern is composed of the roots.
These are true roots, absorbing nutrients for the
plant.
The connect to the
rhizome, an
underground stem.
Notes on Ferns
Fern Structure
The base of the fern is composed of the roots.
These are true roots, absorbing nutrients for the
plant.
The connect to the
rhizome, an
underground stem.
The upper part is
called the frond.
These are usually
thin and delicate.
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
We’ll start with
the fern itself.
The fern is a
sporophyte and
will be producing
spores on the
underside of
some of the
fronds.
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
These spores
are called sori,
and are collected
together as
sporangia.
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
These sporangia
divide through
meiosis, and
are haploid,
containing only
half the
chromosomes of
the parent fern.
We denote this
as “n”,
representing
n chromosomes
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
These spores
form the
gametophyte
phase of the
fern.
This phase of the
plant is rather
short-lived and
quite small (3 to
5 cm at most).
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
As this phase
grows, it turns
into a prothallus,
a small, flat,
heart-shaped
plant containing
sexual organs
for male and
female
reproduction.
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
Here we see the
familiar
antheridium and
archegonium.
Like in mosses,
the sperm needs
liquid water to
swim to the egg.
Notes on Ferns
The Life Cycle of Ferns
After fertilization,
the fern begins
to grow and the
prothallus dies.
We’ve now
looped around to
the diploid
phase. These
contain 2n
chromosomes
and we call them
diploid.
Notes on Ferns
Other Seedless Plant Phyla
There are 3 other phyla besides the ferns.
Sphenophyta
These are the horsetails.
Their roots continue to
grow year after year, but
the stalk above-ground
dies every year.
Notes on Ferns
Lycophyta
These are called club
mosses even though
they aren’t actually
mosses. Most of these
are evergreens and
grow needles. The
spores are usually
stored in the tips of the
needles.
Notes on Ferns
Psilophyta
These are the whiskferns. These strange plants
are made mostly of rhizoids and contain no true
roots or leaves. Instead, they create small
scales.
Exit Question
What principal difference separates ferns from mosses?
a) Ferns have a gametophyte, mosses have a sporophyte
b) Ferns have a sporophyte, mosses have a gametophyte
c) Ferns have a vascular system
d) Mosses have a vascular system
e) There is no principal difference
f) None of the above